The Supreme Court on Monday (August 17) directed Karnataka to comply with the Cauvery Water Management Authority’s (CWMA) directives on releasing Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu.
The apex court’s intervention comes amid a severe water deficit that has already crippled Kuruvai paddy cultivation across the Cauvery delta districts. With the upcoming Samba season now under threat, the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of farmers hang in the balance.
Kuruvai and Samba are traditional paddy cultivation seasons in Tamil Nadu. While Kuruvai is a short-term crop season run from June to July, Samba is a long-duration crop season starting in August, heavily reliant on Cauvery delta water and monsoon rains.
The raging row
On August 11, the CWMA upheld an order issued by the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC), directing Karnataka to release 12,000 cusecs of water daily to Tamil Nadu for a 15-day period starting August 12.
However, Tamil Nadu approached the apex court pressing for a proportional release of 21,413 cusecs daily between August 12 and August 31. The state submitted that this adjustment — factoring in an outstanding deficit of 15.278 thousand million cubic feet (TMC) alongside a current proportional entitlement of 21.357 TMC — would total 36.635 TMC by the end of the month.
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Tamil Nadu argued that if Karnataka had cleared its arrears up to August 12, the Mettur reservoir’s water level would have reached 60 TMC, sustaining Kuruvai cultivation, instead of leaving hundreds of thousands of farmers waiting helplessly to sow their crops.
The petitions from both states — including Karnataka’s additional counter-affidavit filed earlier in the day — will be taken up next Monday (August 24) by a bench headed by Justice Vikram Nath.
These developments unfold against a backdrop of rising political and public tensions, following a largely peaceful Karnataka bandh called over the ongoing water-sharing row.
Kuruvai season misses target
The Cauvery delta districts of Tamil Nadu — Thanjavur, Tiruvarur, Mayiladuthurai and Nagapattinam — traditionally raise three paddy crops between June and February. The short-duration Kuruvai crop is normally harvested in September and is followed by Thaladi and the longer-duration Samba crop.
Last year, more than six lakh acres were brought under Kuruvai and over 11 lakh acres under Samba. The state procured 11.21 lakh tonnes of Kuruvai paddy, disbursing Rs 2,709 crore to 1.45 lakh farmers.
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This year the picture is starkly different. With no assured Cauvery water flows, the Kuruvai target was scaled down to about 4.10 lakh acres. Even that reduced target has not been met: only 3.68 lakh acres have been transplanted.
Thanjavur achieved 1.51 lakh acres against a target of 1.57 lakh acres, Tiruvarur 1.15 lakh acres against 1.52 lakh acres, while Mayiladuthurai slightly exceeded its target of 97,200 acres by covering 98,500 acres.
Nagapattinam, however, collapsed from 75,250 acres last year to a mere 4,300 acres this year. Overall, Kuruvai coverage is down by nearly 1.97 lakh acres compared with the previous season. The transplanting window closed on July 31.
Threat to Samba cultivation
The Southwest Monsoon has also been deficient in the delta. Groundwater levels have fallen, rivers, tanks and ponds have dried up, and saline intrusion has been reported in some pockets. Thanjavur-based retired joint director of agriculture, K Kalaivanan, warned that the entire scenario has cast a deep shadow over Samba cultivation as well.
Tamil Nadu Farmers Protection Association secretary Swamimalai Sundara Vimalnathan cautioned that the failure of Samba could leave about 12.60 lakh acres (roughly 4.5 lakh hectares) without irrigation, create severe shortages of fodder and straw for 40 lakh cattle, and further depress groundwater levels, affecting drinking-water sources across several districts.
He criticised the state government for not immediately declaring drought-hit districts when Mettur could not be opened on the customary date of June 12. He also questioned the adequacy of the special Kuruvai package, which offers a Rs 4,000 subsidy only to farmers using electric pump-sets.
Cautious hope
Today’s Supreme Court directive has raised cautious hopes among Tamil Nadu’s delta farmers that the long-pending deficit may finally be addressed. If Karnataka abides by the apex court’s instructions and ensures timely releases, the improved inflows could still salvage a significant portion of the Samba season, ease the acute water stress in Mettur, and offer a measure of relief to the millions whose livelihoods depend on the Cauvery’s fair and continuous share.
Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Vijay Joseph today announced an enhanced crop-loan waiver scheme in the State Legislative Assembly, raising the total financial assistance to Rs 6,220 crore and benefiting 13.34 lakh farmers across the state.